Prevention and control of Saprolegniasis with emphasis on fish breeding and health management approaches

Saprolegniasis is one of the oldest reported diseases in fish. The first documented report of which back to the mid-eighteenth century. The causative agents are species of the genus Saprolegnia. This group of aquatic fungi is one of the most important fungal pathogens of fish with worldwide expansion. They were reported in fish breeding centers in different parts of the world. The one of the oldest effective compound to the saprolegniasis control was malachite green, which until 2002 in European countries and the United States was used to control this pathogen. When the carcinogenic and toxic effects of malachite green were proven, the use of it was banned worldwide. Although many studies have been done on the treatment and finding effective and alternative medicinal compounds of malachite green in the treatment of this disease, but the important of the role of pathogenesis, predisposing factors and health management have been less considered in raising diseases in hatcheries and farmed fish. In this study, we tried to focus on the importance of the pathogesis of saprolegnia sp. predisposing factors and health management methods that help to prevention and minimize of disease in hatcheries and farmed fish.